Seacoast Local launches Entrepreneur Showcase

Saturday

Jan 19, 2013 at 3:15 AM

PORTSMOUTH – Seacoast Local will be hosting its first Seacoast Entrepreneur Showcase, which will be open to the public, on Tuesday, Feb. 5th from 6 to 8:30 PM at the Red Door on 107 State St. in downtown Portsmouth. The event is part of Seacoast Local’s Community Capital initiative sponsored by Optima Bank & Trust. Pre-registration is required.

“The idea of community capital is that the more money we direct to our local economy the more our community will thrive,” said David Boynton, Seacoast Local’s executive director. “The event is designed to introduce the public to the principles of community capital and to showcase local businesses that are helping to build a more sustainable economy here on the Seacoast.”

The event will consist of short, “lightning” presentations held in an informal social setting followed by questions from the audience. Food and Drink will be available and there will be plenty of time to mingle before and after the presentations. The event will open with remarks from Michael Bartner, Vice President of Slow Money, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to catalyzing investment in local food systems.

Five Seacoast entrepreneurs will then provide presentations on their plans to start or expand their local business. The line-up is comprised of the following presenters: Andre Cantelmo of Heron Pond Farm, a sustainable agricultural farm that plans to open a new farm stand in Kensington; Allison Grappone of Nearby Registry, an online gift registry and e-commerce service that allows you to select gifts from local independent businesses and nonprofits; Curtis Gould, The Soup Guy, a maker of natural, gluten free and locally-sourced soups; Steve McPhee, a custom cabinet and furniture maker specializing in eco-friendly design; and Josh Henry of 7th Settlement Brewery and Pub, a start-up nano-Brew Pub planning to open doors in downtown Dover.

Entrepreneurs will be discussing key aspects of their business but presentations do not constitute an offer to sell securities or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

Local investing is part of the broader “local first” movement which is led by organizations like BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies), The New Economics Institute, AMIBA (American Independent Business Alliance), Slow Money, the Institute for Local Self Reliance, and hundreds of community organizations across the country.

“Local independent businesses lie at the heart of a more sustainable future,” Boynton said. “Small, locally owned businesses play an essential role in fostering communities that are more economically robust, culturally vibrant and environmentally sustainable. Local investing is a tool that keeps dollars circulating in the local economy and helps small businesses prosper by providing them with an additional source of financing.”